Pray For KyoAni

As many of you might know, a fire broke out in Kyoto Animation’s 1st Studio Building in Rokujizou, Kyoto. Reports are still developing but at the time of this post, 33 people have died, 36 others are injured, and some are currently unaccounted for. The cause is believed to be arson and the perpetrator has been arrested. There’s a lot of reports and rumors floating around about the motive. I’d rather not discuss about it until the police provide more concrete information. Instead, I just want to give my condolences to all the people affected. Kyoto Animation is one of my favorite animation studios in Japan; some of their anime is among my all-time favorites. No one and no company should ever deal with something this devastating. I’m saddened that so many people have died and I pray that those who survived will recover. This is truly a dark day for Japan and the anime community.

For those interested in helping the studio, there are number of funding campaigns out there. The one by Sentai Filmworks you can probably trust; they have a strong working relationship with KyoAni and if worst case scenario somehow happens, GoFundMe pledges can be cancelled with returns. If you’d rather support the studio more directly, you can also purchase something from their online store in Japan. You don’t even have to purchase something physical; the store offers some downloadable goods as well. It should be noted that a Japanese company such as KyoAni would have full health coverage for all its employees. Still, the thought counts so consider donating if you are financially able to and donate to some place that can be trusted (the sad reality is that there are terrible people out who try to exploit tragedies such as this).

I know some of you won’t do this but just in case: please don’t go around asking how this attack affects KyoAni’s upcoming productions. As much as I look forward to their next TV show and movie, I could care less if they get delayed or even cancelled. I just want the people who survived this tragedy to recover and I think you should as well. Anime can wait.

I’d rather not make this post about me but I must admit that I do feel a little uncomfortable about posting the usual weeb stuff today in light of what just happened. I’ll still work on some drafts but if nothing publishes today, now you know why. Sure, I’ll be behind even more on posts but again, anime can wait. Regardless, I’m following the reports and my thoughts are with KyoAni as they recover from this tragedy.

Update (7/25/2019) – Just found about this: Kyoto Animation has recently opened a bank account where they can accept donations directly. Additionally, RightStuff has opened a donation page and announced that they’ll cover all the processing and transfer fees for the amount of money they receive. Links for both have been added down below.